Closed
After a period of 90 days with no new information, cases are considered closed. However, if new information becomes available or there are other updates those will be posted here. Individuals who believe they have been the target of bias, intolerance or discrimination may report an incident to the public incident report form (bias and intolerance) or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (sexual misconduct and discrimination).
Please direct any questions or concerns in regard to this bias incident to the RBIRT Manager at RBIresponse@utah.edu.
What happened
In one of the University of Utah Residence Halls, there were signs on residence doors with the message “One goal I have this semester is…” encouraging residents to complete the message with a goal they have for the semester. On February 7, 2023, two Resident Advisor (RAs) reported that they found a demeaning gender-based message displayed on a resident’s door. Specifically, that a resident wrote “One goal I have this semester is…to network with more M***S.” M*** is an offensive and sexualizing term about women.
What is being done
The RAs spoke with the resident in the room, who indicated that they did not write the message. The RAs explained that the language could make other residents feel uncomfortable. The resident voluntarily took down the door decoration. Housing and Residential Education (HRE) reported the incident to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO/AA) and the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team.
Because the involved individuals are student residents, HRE discussed the impact of the behavior. Additionally, HRE will increase training and education/programming to residents on the topic.
What to do
Be vigilant and speak up. Stopping this type of behavior takes collective action, and bystander intervention efforts are one way of combatting such conduct that causes real harm. To learn more about how to incorporate bystander intervention into your toolkit, check out the information here: https://wellness.utah.edu/workshops-training/#bystander.
If you are interested in learning more about the variety of resources the U offers to support diversity and inclusion, please visit the Office of the Dean of Students in the Union Building, Room 270, deanofstudents@utah.edu, 801-581-7066, or Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Park Building, Room 208, or https://diversity.utah.edu/our-team/. To make a report of a racist or bias incident, visit the public reporting form.
The U is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion
Acts like this demean women and cause harm to students’ and other community members’ sense of belonging. We are still striving to ensure that all our staff, students, trainees, faculty and other community members are able to find a place of safety and belonging as a part of our campus community, especially in our residence halls, and have the space to explore, express and celebrate their various identities. We will continue to name the biased acts, investigate, provide education, and when appropriate, hold the perpetrators of these harmful acts accountable when they are identified. Additionally, we will continue efforts that uplift and celebrate our communities and enhance a sense of belonging on our campus.